Hat-stay



(No Model.)

H. A. HOUSE HAT STAY.

No. 330,979. Patented Nov. 24, 18185.

mlnesses WMMMZJ Nrrn HENRY A. HOUSE, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

HAT- -STAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 330,979, dated November24, 1885. Application filed February 6, 1985. Serial No. 155,064. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY A. HoUsE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfleld and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inHat-Stays; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to certain novel and useful improvements in thatclass of devices known as packing hat-stays, and has for its object toprovide such a device as shall be adjustable to any-sized crown, whileat the same time the top of the stay is so formed that there iscomparatively no chafing against the hat and ample surface is affordedfor the hatbrim to rest on, thereby preserving the shape; and with theseends in view my invention consists in the details of construction andcombination of elements hereinafter fully and in detail explained, andthen specifically des' ignated by the claim.

In order that those skilled in the art to which my invention appertainsmay more fully understand its construction, I will proceed to describethe samein detail, referring by letter to the accompanying drawings,forminga part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a perspectiveview of my im provement; Fig. 2, aview in elevation,showing the endsspread apart; Fig. 3, a perspective View showing the flange turnedinward.

Similar letters denote like parts in the several figures of thedrawings.

Hat stays as at present constructed are merely of cylindricalshape,formed from straw or paste board, and they are not open, but theends are pasted together, so that differentsized stays must be used fordifferent-sized hats; also, the top edge and inner surface of the stayare constantly chafing against the sides of the hat-crown, and therebythe hat is sometimes seriously damaged.

In myimprovement I curl or turn the upper edge, forming a. flange, asseen at A.

B are bow-shaped vertical slots cut in the stay near one end, and C is askeleton tongue projecting from the other end and in the same I of thetongue, as will be understood by reference to Figs. 1 and 2. The slotsmay be cut so as to extend to a considerable distance around the stay,and the latter may then be rolled or contracted into a small compass andthe tongue secured, as above described, so that a small-sized crown maybe accommodated. When in proper position around the hat, the inner edgeof the flangewill fit closely around the bottom of the crown, where thelatter joins the brim.

The flange may be made narrow or wide, as desired, to give an amplesurface for the hatbrim to rest on; also, the top of the stay may beflanged and formed to correspond to the droop or curve in the brims ofstiff hats.

I do not wish to be understood as claiming, broadly, the way offastening the ends of the stay which I have shown and described, as I amaware that this is not new, broadly.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

As a new article of manufacture,a hat-stay formed from a single piece ofstraw or paste board having at the top a continuous laterally-projectingflange for the brim of the hat to rest on, and provided at the ends witha fastening device, whereby the stay may be contracted and therebyadapted to various sizes of hats and then fastened, for the purposeshereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof I afflx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY A. HOUSE.

Witnesses:

S. S. WILLIAMSON, E. S. SUMNER.

